New Year's Eve Wine

Peter Creasey

Peter Creasey
Chateau Brane-Cantenac '82 -- Thank goodness for the Durand to handle a (predictably) crumbly cork. Nevertheless, the cork obviously served the wine well for 40 years -- solid red, shy elegant nose, mild fruit, some leather, balanced and smooth, resolved tannins, dark fruits, still nice depth, a bit past its peak but still everything I had hoped for. [E]

This well-aged Claret with soft tannins worked well with sauteed foie gras and pears, cassoulet bean salad, then cranberry cookies.

. . . . . Pete
 
Pete,
I wish you and yours the best in 2022.
For D and I, pizza with friends in the backyard, Champagne and a couple of reds.
And a small hope; that this one is better than the last.
Best, Jim
 
Our most notable wine was a lovely half bottle of Zilliken's 2001 Saarburger Rausch GKA, an auction bottle. AP# 1-02. It was a leaker, so I couldn't see any reason to hold it longer; it was a great way to conclude 2021.

John
 
originally posted by Florida Jim: pizza with friends in the backyard, Champagne and a couple of reds.

Jim, with the pizza, perhaps one of the reds was a Zin (perhaps even a Ridge), right??? Not.

Happy New Year to y'all also...and to everyone.

. . . . . . Pete
 
Notable wines on a calm and peaceful evening at home.

2019 Clos du Briords with steamers from Maine.
2007 Copain Roussanne (thank you Wells!) with veal angnolotti from Belotti Botega in Oakland with white truffle butter
2010 Dom with local caviar from sustainably farmed sturgeon to bring in the New Year

Enjoyed lots of music, live opera from the Met on PBS, snippets of great musical performances and past concerts including Tina Turner at Wembley from 2001, even CNN had the live music from Times Square before and after the ball drop.

Wonderful way to end a stressful 2021!

Happy New Year to all.

Everett
 
IMG_0068_(1).jpg
new year's day with our traditional Japanese family meal
HNY!!
 
Everett, I like your game-plan!

The third member of our planned evening wisely quarantined herself after exposure to her boss' family, so just Jim and me. We attended LightScape, a son-et-lumiere experience strewn over a mile of the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens, then home for simple seafood with FRV100 and my two-month-old eggnog.
 
originally posted by Mark Anisman:
new year's day with our traditional Japanese family meal
HNY!!

Nice spread. What is that on the right? Looks like it could be chunks of Parmigiano, but could also be Inarizushi, or something else?

Some of the Japanese flavors can be a challenge for fine wine, but obviously you know what you are doing.
 
At our NYE table, I had a particularly good match of 2008 Movia Chardonnay Lunar 9 with red bass, saffron risotto, roasted squash and sauteed fennel and kale. It's nice when everything comes together. Now let's see about 2022!
 
Jeff, I like yours as well! Hope you put something at least 40 proof into the eggnog! Costco had some nice specials on cognacs and brandies over the holidays.
 
It was just my wife and me. A nice quiet evening. A bottle of 2002 Billecart-Salmon Cuvée Nicolas François and Tesseron Lot 53 Cognac.
 
originally posted by Rahsaan:
originally posted by Mark Anisman:
new year's day with our traditional Japanese family meal
HNY!!

Nice spread. What is that on the right? Looks like it could be chunks of Parmigiano, but could also be Inarizushi, or something else?

Some of the Japanese flavors can be a challenge for fine wine, but obviously you know what you are doing.

actually knew that the Lafarge is a poor to middling match and it did so prove. but on occasion we are content to not worry about this. we have a sentimental attachment to Lafarge wines, hence the choice. just as the food is traditional and repeated every new year's day, our brother-in-law Munetaka adores Burgundy and thus Burgundy it is. tannins resolved and sweet and uncomplicated wine as one can often expect from 1990. very good but not an inspirational wine but works emotionally. the meal is the deal.

the 2 blocks on the far right are shake no nanbanzuke (quick fry salmon than sits over night in an orange zest marinade).

the kuromame (beans) in the middle are delicious!

the items in the space controlled in between are dashimaki tamago and koyadofu

the meal is heavy on vinegar and does make the beverage choice difficult. sake probably works best. go figure!
 
originally posted by Everett Bandman:
Hope you put something at least 40 proof into the eggnog! Costco had some nice specials on cognacs and brandies over the holidays.
Oh, yes. The minimum safe mix is 1.5 oz of 40-proof per egg. I went well to the safe side: 1 cup rum and 1/2 cup brandy for 6 eggs.

When serving, add fresh hooch to your cup as you like. I take more brandy, or sometimes Kahlua. Adding amaro is interesting but I'm not entirely persuaded. My partner likes Grand Marnier or amaretto.

A scratch of nutmeg over the top of your cup is optional.

Regarding your latter comment, well, as it's going to be drowned in cream, I use dime-store brandy. (Nice brandy should be drunk neat.) What did you see/buy at Costco?
 
originally posted by Mark Anisman:

actually knew that the Lafarge is a poor to middling match and it did so prove. but on occasion we are content to not worry about this.

Yes. I know the feeling. Somehow we survive even when the wines are not optimal matches.

originally posted by Mark Anisman:

the 2 blocks on the far right are shake no nanbanzuke (quick fry salmon than sits over night in an orange zest marinade)...

the meal is heavy on vinegar and does make the beverage choice difficult. sake probably works best. go figure!

Aha. Sounds like the salmon might have been Burgundy-friendly, but good point about sake!
 
originally posted by Jeff Grossman:
originally posted by Everett Bandman:
Hope you put something at least 40 proof into the eggnog! Costco had some nice specials on cognacs and brandies over the holidays.
Oh, yes. The minimum safe mix is 1.5 oz of 40-proof per egg. I went well to the safe side: 1 cup rum and 1/2 cup brandy for 6 eggs.

When serving, add fresh hooch to your cup as you like. I take more brandy, or sometimes Kahlua. Adding amaro is interesting but I'm not entirely persuaded. My partner likes Grand Marnier or amaretto.

A scratch of nutmeg over the top of your cup is optional.

Regarding your latter comment, well, as it's going to be drowned in cream, I use dime-store brandy. (Nice brandy should be drunk neat.) What did you see/buy at Costco?

Thanks for the recipe sounds great. I’m partial to Remy, so picked up some VSOP and XO as a splurge.
 
originally posted by Jeff Grossman:
originally posted by Everett Bandman:
Hope you put something at least 40 proof into the eggnog! Costco had some nice specials on cognacs and brandies over the holidays.
Oh, yes. The minimum safe mix is 1.5 oz of 40-proof per egg. I went well to the safe side: 1 cup rum and 1/2 cup brandy for 6 eggs.

When serving, add fresh hooch to your cup as you like. I take more brandy, or sometimes Kahlua. Adding amaro is interesting but I'm not entirely persuaded. My partner likes Grand Marnier or amaretto.

A scratch of nutmeg over the top of your cup is optional.

Regarding your latter comment, well, as it's going to be drowned in cream, I use dime-store brandy. (Nice brandy should be drunk neat.) What did you see/buy at Costco?

This reminds me of the egg nog recipe I used for a few college parties, cribbed directly from
A ‘60s-era Joy of Cooking. Whether it was Erma Rombauer herself or her daughter, one of the co-authors liked her hooch.

Mark Lipton
 
originally posted by MLipton:
Whether it was Erma Rombauer herself or her daughter, one of the co-authors liked her hooch.
There's a Planters' Punch recipe in there that is positively deadly and produces, shall we say, amazing results at parties. (It's the one that uses all the frozen juice concentrates to conceal how much booze is involved.)
 
originally posted by Jeff Grossman:
originally posted by MLipton:
Whether it was Erma Rombauer herself or her daughter, one of the co-authors liked her hooch.
There's a Planters' Punch recipe in there that is positively deadly and produces, shall we say, amazing results at parties. (It's the one that uses all the frozen juice concentrates to conceal how much booze is involved.)

That reminds me of another college memory. I was, for one brief, shining moment, the social chairman of our local American Chemical Society affiliate. As part of my duties, I made the punch for a social event. It was one part 95% ethanol and one part cranberry juice with some pineapple slices for decor. Despite my warning all participants that this innocuous-looking punch was 95 proof, several of my fellow chem majors, especially of the petite Asian-American female stripe, overindulged and paid rather severe consequences. I was promptly relieved of my post thereafter.

Mark Lipton
(Unrepentant to the end)
 
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